Page 57 of Ricochet

CHAPTER TWENTY

Adelia cuddled next to Seven on a couch in Mayhem’s parlor overlooking the pool tables as Seven regaled her with tales of epic, never-to-be-shared romantic honeymoon moments. Adelia couldn’t see Jax acting as sweet at Seven swore he was. Maybe that was like Colin. Each day that passed since they’d said goodbye in person had been filled with sweet nothing calls and text messagesthat made her buzz like a bee.

Even as Adelia laid her head on Seven’s pink-hair-covered shoulder, wondering why Mayhem was partying harder than normal tonight, she could close her eyes and feel Colin’s stomach touching hers and his confident fingers covering her body.

Thick smoke billowed from cigars clenched between MC members’ teeth and held in their hands as beer bottles clanked raucouslaughter mixed with crude flirting as bottle girls boozed up the guys and biker babes hunted for attention.

Tex and Lenora entered the room, attached at the hip. Her Pops raised a beer bottle to greet them on the couch, but Lenora pulled away as Tex smacked her ass. She snorted and threw her middle finger in the air, sliding onto the other end of the couch. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“We’replaying pool, babe,” Tex said as he walked past, waving away recruits from their game, and racked the balls.

What would Tex be like if she hadn’t been thrust into his life? No doubt a thousand times rougher around the edges—and maybe Lenora wouldn’t even be his old lady. She made him happy, even if most people couldn’t tell. He came off strong and had to as part of Mayhem’s leadership council,but behind the gruff, grousing, beer-drinking attitude problem, he had a heart. Whether that was because of her and Lenora, Adelia had no idea.

“Keep your phone on you.” Lenora raised her eyebrows. “I heard there’s a distributor who received an unexpected shipment of merchandise. They’re going to move it quickly.”

Merchandise meant people, and Adelia hated the terminology. “Why quickly? Howquickly?”

“Fast.” She relaxed on the edge of the couch as though they weren’t discussing a surprise delivery. “My client said his boy doesn’t want it and has no place to store—”

“Them,” Adelia snapped. “Not it. Them.”

Seven touched her knee. “We know.”

“Fire sale. First come, first served. A large quantity, but it’ll, I mean, they’ll, go cheap.”

Large but expensive still meant that Adelianeeded more money immediately. “How sure are you?”

“Get your network near Baltimore ready.” Lenora waved to Ethan as he walked from the hallway where Mayhem’s office was. “And like I said, keep your phone on.”

The combination of this conversation and the club’s treasurer walking by gave Adelia the willies. “It’s on.”

“Good.”

“You breakin’ or what?” Tex held a stick for Lenora.

“Hold yourhorses, big fellow.”

And that was it. Lenora swept herself off the couch and swayed toward the pool table like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb.

She took the pool stick and moved to the end of the table, teasing Tex as she broke and called her shot.

But Adelia couldn’t make her mind work fast enough to comprehend how Lenora was collected enough to slide into a game, break that cleanly, and callher shot.

“Would you be upset if,” Seven mumbled.

“If what?”

“I told Jax.”

Adelia bit her lip. “Would you?”

“I’ve never intentionally kept anything from him, but he keeps away from Mayhem business. It’s our unsaid rule.”

“I think it’s an unsaid rule that it’s never discussed ever.”

Seven shrugged a shoulder. “Well, that might be because everyone wants to live, ya know.”

Adelia wrappedher arms around her best friend. “Thank you.”

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